1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device usage limiting method, apparatus and program, and more particularly to a device usage limiting method, apparatus and program which limit the use of the device according to a use condition of the device.
2. Description of Related Art
With the spread of networks in these years, various types of devices such as printers, facsimiles and scanners come to correspond to the networks and have many occasions of commonly used by plural users.
The devices corresponding to the networks have an advantage that plural users can use them but also have a possibility that a user who is desirably restricted the use of them from a management viewpoint can use them. Therefore, there have been proposed many technologies of limiting the use of such a device. Among such technologies, there is a system that each user can use a ticket issued by a server limiting printing to print within the limitation determined for each user (e.g., Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-117737).
Where the device is allowed to be used by many users, the individual users are often charged. Especially, where an indefinite number of users are allowed to use the device, a prepaid type charging system is often employed.
As the prepaid type charging, it is general to use a method that a user ID is issued to a user who wants to use the device, and an access volume corresponding to a prepaid amount is managed in association with the user ID. This method requires a management server for managing the user ID and the access volume.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-306278 describes a print system capable of automatically deleting an installed driver after completion of printing.
Where the use of a device such as a printer is limited and if a user who is not allowed to use the device happens to install a device driver of the device in error or if a user installs a device driver of the device before the device usage limit is implemented and later is not registered as a user allowed to use the device, the device driver remains installed in a terminal device such as a PC (personal computer) to be a client unless the device driver is uninstalled by the user. In such a case, the user might erroneously operate the device to use it.
There may be a user who intentionally uses a usage limited device. In such a case, unnecessary data is sent to a network if the device is an output device such as a printer.
Therefore, it is not desirable for the user to operate erroneously or intentionally so to use the device of which use by the user is limited.
Where a prepaid system is employed to bill the user for use of the device, a management server is often necessary to manage the user ID or the like. Therefore, even when charging processing is employed for a small-scale system having a small number of users or a system temporarily used at an event hole or the like, the management server is necessary, and its operation involves a large amount of costs.